Hirschmann Automotive to add more than 500 job positions in Guanajuato plant

Austria-based Hirschmann Automotive plans to open more than 500 jobs positions through 2019 at its plant in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, in line with its mid and long-term projections, said Ricardo Euresti Guerrero, Human Resources manager, in an interview to El Financiero.

The company will create 400 positions in the operational area and 150 administrative jobs, so by the end of 2019 it will be able to cover approximately 70% of the production capacity originally planned.

"The plant in Mexico has been operating for two years and we are still working in start-up projects, we continue with tests and we are closing some projects, so the goal is to reach 1,200 employees by 2020," Euresti said.

Although all of Hirschmann's production in the country goes to the North American market, the firm's operation will continue, regardless of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Euresti said.

"We have discussed this with our managers here in Mexico, and with the corporate in Austria, and the message is very clear: as long as there is no change that puts us at risk, things must continue". "We cannot stop, we cannot stop growing, so we are going to continue, and the truth is that we do not see a negative change in our organization, and we continue with the same plans we had three years ago, and we are going there," he said.

Hirschmann Automotive manufactures connector and sensor systems, special cable assemblies and high voltage applications. Among its main customers are BMW, Daimler and Tesla. The company invested some US$ 62 million in San Miguel de Allende to set up its plant which started operations in late 2016.